Quimby n



(No Model.)

- Q. N. EVANS.

AUTOMATIG REGULATOR FOR TANKS AND RESERVOIRS.

" No. 254,944. Patented Mam.14,1882u.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

QUIMBY N. EVANS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO HERBERTA. JOSLIN,-OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR TANKS AND RESERVOIRS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 254,944, dated March14, 1882.

Application filed July 12, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, QUIMBY N. EVANS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Regulators forTanks and Reservoirs; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of said improvements, and of themannerof making, constructing, and using the same, reference being hadtothe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 exhibits a frontelevation of the invention with certain of theparts in section; Fig. 2,a detached view of a modified arrangement of throttle-valve incombination with the pressure-regulator.

Reservoir-tanks for containing water, petroleum, acids, or the like, andwhich are located at some distance above the level of discharge toinsure a certain head or pressure upon the escaping liquid, areordinarily provided with some means whereby the amount of reserve liquidWithin the tank may be kept substantially constant involume. If the tankbe emptied to a point below the level of such normal volume, a freshsupply of liquid will flow in to restore the waste, and this flowjwillcontinue until the desired level or volume is recovered, whereupon itwill whclly cease not to be renewed until the liquid shall again wasteor escape.

My invention belongs to that class of devices which automaticallycontrol the supply of liquids to such storage tanks or reservoirs, saidinvention consisting of certainimprovements in apparatus, substantiallyas hereinafter set forth, and more particularly defined in claims.

The invention is of special value in connection with the tanks orcisterns used to operate hydraulic elevators or lifts-such as areemployed in buildings to shift passengers and goods from stage to stage;but I do not wish to be understood as confining the invention in,

its practical value to one particular use, inasmuch as it can besuccessfully adapted to any tank or reservoir, whether it be for water,pe-

troleum, acid, sirup, paper-pulp, or other liquid which it is desired todischarge under a 5 definite pressure or head.

The invention consists specifically in the combination, with an elevatedreservoir-tank and. a steam-pump or a steam-engine and pump,

by which the tank is supplied with fresh por- 5 Lions of liquid, of apressure-regulator and suitable adjuncts disposed between said tank andengine-pump in such manner that the movements or action of the pump willbe timed or controlled by the loss of liquid from the tank. 6

Entirely separate from the main dischargepipes of the reservoir-tank T,and leading out from the upper part of said tank at or near the levelwhich is designed to mark the normal or reserved portion of the liquid,is an auxil 6 sisting of two dish-shaped plates oppositely clampedtogether at their projecting rims, and

with a sheet or disk of rubber cloth retained between them in'suchmanner as to constitute a tight flexible partition or diaphragm, E, inthe chamber formed by the plates. 3

They pipe 0 opens into the regulator in the space belowthe diaphragm,and has connected to it, near said regulator, a pipe, D, of considerablysmaller diameter, which at its opposite end discharges into awaste-tank. The liquid 5 collecting in said waste-tank may be returnedto the upper or pressure reservoir through the medium of the force-pump,or lbeotherwise disposed of, as desired.

It is important only that the capacity of the i discharge-pipe D shallbe considerably less than that of the supply-pipe O for a reason to bepresently set forth, wherefore it matters nothing whether the two pipesbe directly con nected, as represented in drawings, or whether i insteadthe smaller pipe D be made to open out from the lower space or casing ofthe regulator, as marked in dotted lines at D.

Secured centrally to the diaphragm E by any convenient manner is a rod,F, which rises 1 vertically through the upper casin g of the regulator Aand bears aga'insta short horizontal arm or link, H. Said link ispivoted at one end to a fixed upright or standard, G, that may beattached to the regulator-casing, and at its opposite end is jointed tothe extremity of the valve-stem I. The stem I passes through the usualstuffing-box projecting from the globecasing of thethrottle-valve B, andbears at its end the valve by which the supply of steam from pipe K-tothe steam-engine or pump is controlled. A recoil-spring encircles theval vesteln I, and bears at one end against the stuffing-box, at itsopposite against a set-nut screwthreaded to the stem, by which nut thetension of the spring may be varied.

The operation of the apparatusis as follows: The reservoir-tank beingfull and the stopcock 1? in pipe D open, a continuous flow of liquidinto the regulator Aand out through the discharge-pipe D will ensue, andwill continue until for any cause the level of liquid in the reservoirshall sink below the orifice of pipe O,whereupon the current will cease.During this period of flow, however, it must be evident that the head.of" the liquid entering the regulator A from the pipe (J, and thesuperior capacity of that pipe to the dischargepipe D, will operate toforce the diaphragm E against the upper casing, and with it to lift thevertical rod F, the link H, and the valve-stem I, so that the valve atthe end of the stem will close tightly against its seat and arrestthesupply of steam to the engine I. When the flow of liquidtothesnpply-pipe O,and in consequence the plenum pressure on thediaphragm E is at an end, the diaphragm will drop to the lower -space ofthe regulator, being aided therein by the recoil-spring and the pressureof the steam upon the head of the valve. With the fall of the diaphragmthere is likewise a shiftin position of the valve-stem,which throws thethrottle open, allows steam to pass to the engine, the pump to beoperated, and a fresh supply of liquid returned to the reservoir-tank.This inflow of liquid will continue until the normal volume is restored,whereupon the pipe will again fill, the pressure on the diaphragm berenewed, and it with connected parts reversed to their former position,shutting 0% the steam and arresting the action of the pump.

It will be noted that the volume of liquid flowing from the reservoir toand through the regulator represents buta small part of the full storagecapacity, so that this main portion of liquid escapes and is applied tothe purposes designed quite independently from the limited current tothe pressure-regulator. Likewise observe that the outflow to theregulator occurs not simply when there is any volume of liquid withinthe reservoir, but only when that volume reaches a certain height, thisintermittent movement in the current, and consequently in the action ofthe pump,.being most economical in use of steam and in duty of engineand pump, and exactly timed to the demands of the reservoir.

To simplify structure the'diaphragm and projecting vertical rod may bemade to act dihand screw-thread'to-permit of close-adjustment of theseparts, and as well to regulate the tensions of the plate-spring S, bentin U form, and which bears against the set-nut and stufiingbox,respectively. The spring, like that shown in Fig. 1, operates to throwdown the diaphragm within the regulator-case, and so to open thethrottle valve, whenever the pressure flow of water to and from theregulator has ceased. Equally good results are obtained whether theconnection between the diaphragm and throttle-valve be such as shown inFig. 1 or in Fig. 2, nor is the success of the apparatus dependent uponany peculiarities in structure of the reservoir or pipes, steamvalves,engines, or pumps.

When the supply-pipe (J descends in course below the level of theregulator A, forming a U-like bend, it is advisable to locate thedischarge-pipe D either in the regulator or at about its height on thefeed-pipe 0, thus permitting the free escape of air which mightotherwise accumulate inthe bend of the pipe and retard the action of theapparatus.

In lieu of a steam-engine, any other form of motor may be employed tooperate the pump, in such event the diaphragm and connections beingarranged to shift a collar-clutch in and out of gear on the drive-shaftof the motor, as is practiced with wind-wheels, water-wheels,electro-motors, and the like.

I do not make claim broadly to the combination, with a steam-engine,of apressure-regulator, which acts on the throttle-valve to control thesteam-supply; nor to the combination, with a steam-engine and pump, of aboiler, a system of steam-heating radiators, a hot-water well, and apressure-regulator; nor to the combination, with a steam-engine andpump, of a boiler and a pressure-regulator comm unicating with saidboiler in the steam and water spaces thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s-- '1. The combination, with a reservoir-tank and apump for supplying the same with liquid, of a steam-en gine orequivalent motor, and an automatic regulator to control the throttle oroperating-clutch of the motor, said regulator being governed in movementby the flow to and through it of a limited and intermittent current ofliquid from the tank, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a reservoir-tank and automatic regulator, ofthe supply-pipe O and the discharge-pipe D, ot'less diameter therewith,substantially as described.

- 3. The combination, with a reservoir-tank,

of the supply pipe O, the discharge-pipe D, of stem I, provided with theretraetion-spriug', less dia'metertherewith,the regulator A, throt thesteam-pipe, and en gine-pump, substantially tle-valve B, steam-pipe K,and engine P, subas described. st-antially as herein set forth. QUIMBYN. EVANS.

4. In comm-mien w: hgthe" reservoir-tank, automatic regulator, andsupply and discharge pipes, substantially as described, the valveWitnesses:

JAMES H. PEIRCE, D. P. HALPEN.

